Almost 30% of jobs in towns including Sunderland and Wakefield at risk by 2030 due to automation and globalisation

The increased use of robots, artificial intelligence and other technologies to replace human labour will deepen the North-South divide, the Centre for Cities think tank concluded

Almost 30 per cent of jobs in some northern towns and cities are in occupations where the workforce is at risk of shrinking by 2030, according to new analysis.

Cities like Mansfield, Wakefield and Sunderland are likely to be worst-affected by a wave of automation as well as further globalisation, the Centre for Cities think tank concluded.

Stoke, Blackburn, Doncaster and Northampton also have a large number of jobs in sectors that are at risk.

Increased use of robots, artificial intelligence and other technologies to replace human labour will deepen the North-South divide, the think tank warned.

It predicted that a fifth of jobs in British urban areas are in occupations under threat from automation and globalisation, with retail, customer services and warehouse jobs among the most vulnerable.

The South will not be immune to the trends but will see fewer jobs under threat. Cambridge and Oxford face losing up to 13 per cent of jobs, the study estimates.

The spread of new technologies will also create new jobs to offset those lost, the think tank said. However, it noted that in those towns worst affected by automation, many of the new roles will probably be low-skilled.

Andrew Carter, chief executive of Centre for Cities, said automation and globalisation will bring “huge opportunities” to increase prosperity but warned that many people and places will lose out unless the Government takes action.

“National and local leaders need to ensure that people in cities across the North and Midlands can share in the benefits these changes could offer,” Mr Carter said.

“That means reforming the education system to give young people the cognitive and interpersonal skills they need to thrive in the future, and improving school standards, especially in places where jobs are most at risk.

“We also need greater investment in lifelong learning and technical education to help adults adapt to the changing labour market, and better retraining for people who lose their jobs because of these changes.

“The challenges and opportunities ahead for Blackburn are very different to those for Brighton.”

Research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies earlier this month predicted that steep increases in the minimum wage could kickstart an automation revolution in the workplace.

For the over-25s, the minimum wage now stands at £7.50, covering 4 per cent of employees, and will rise to £7.83 in April.

The Government plans to hike it to 60 per cent of median earnings by 2020, which would equate to around £8.56 on current projections.

Around 11 per cent of the workers set to be affected by the new minimum wage by 2020 are in “routine” jobs that could potentially be performed by machines.